On a Concept of Dimensionally Homogeneous Knowledge Processing in Engineering Design

The generally valid property of dimensional homogeneity of physical equations is used to derive a framework for the evaluation of engineering design objects, for the establishment of a sensitivity analysis of the design parameters, for the construction of a coupling matrix and of a coupling graph of the design parameters. Most of the derivations of the theory are shown to be independent of the explicit knowledge of the specific functional relationship of the design parameters, but to be dependent on the identification of the correct relevance list of the design parameters only. It is shown how these alternative techniques complement and fit to classical computational techniques commonly used in the design process, such as finite element methods, simulations or experimental results. The practical use of the theory can be effectively supported in the early stages of the design process by the automatic generation of all required information through an additional software module to existing CAD systems called Symbolic